Hat-tray



(No Model.)

Y L K I L H Y r A R T T A H n0 9 8 1 i 1 m a J d 6 t n 9 t a P WITNESSES.

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' UNrrnn STATES PATENT @FFICE.

HENRY LIKLY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

HAT-TRAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 489,968, dated January 17, 1893.

Application filed July 5, 1892- Serial 110.439.004. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY LIKLY, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Trays; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,and to the reference numerals marked thereon.

My present invention has for its object to provide a simple and cheap tray or frame for carrying hats orsimilararticles without danger of their being broken or damaged during t1 ansportation and in which the hats can be exhibited conveniently, said trays being adapted to be placed in ordinary trunks or those provided especially for their reception, and preferably arranged to fit one within the other, so that they may be removed separately or together for exhibiting the hats, and further to provide an improved hat suspending device particularly adapted to and forming a part of the improved tray, but capable of use when separated from said tray in ordinary hat boxes or in trunks, and to these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements in construction and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter fully described and the novel features pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings: Figure l is a plan view of a tray. Fig. 2 aside view of a single tray. Fig. 3 a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 4 a sectional view on the line yy of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 a plan view of a modification, and Fig. 6 a sectional view of the same. Fig. 7 is a view of a detail.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

The body of the tray consists of a suitable frame formed of the side pieces 1, 1, the end pieces 2, 2, the longitudinal middle strip 3 and the cross strips 4, and at the corners are arranged supporting legs 5 extending below the bottoms of the trays and with their upper ends arranged below the tops a short distance as shown in Fig. 4, so that when the trays are placed one upon the other the lower ends of the legs of the upper ones will rest upon the tops of the legs of the lower ones and support the tray, or, if desired,other leg supports could be employed. The lower portions of the sides and ends and longitudinal and cross strips may be cut away, as shown for the better display of the hats, if desired. Arranged within the spaces between the longitudinal and cross strips, which constitute pockets or compartments forthe hats,are the sustaining devices for the latter consisting, in the present instance, of flexible cords 7 supported .upon springs or elastic connections 8 and 9 secured at one end to the corners of the compartments and at the other engaging said cords as shown in Fig. 1. These springs normally hold the cords taut as shown; those in the corners of adjacent com .partments are preferably formed integral, as

shown in Fig. 7 the connecting portion passingin the slot between the sides of the recess in the cross pieces and the said pieces 1 and longitudinal strips 3, and are prevented from accidental upward movement by small plates 19 secured at theintersection of the side and cross pieces, as shown in Fig. 1. i

The springs 10 at the corners are double extending around the leg socket and are made preferably of a single spring with its middle part bent around the cord 7, but two springs might be employed if desired.

To the under sides of the frames are secured the longitudinally extendingstrips 11,11, and

v 12, the latter arranged at the middle underneath the central longitudinal strip and the former at the sides; said strips being preferably covered on the under side with cloth, or some soft material 13, as shown in Fig. 3, and are preferably broad enough to extend over the cords of the next lower tray when placed one on top of the other, so that as the hats are supported by their brims upon the clastically supported cords 7, the strips 11 and 2 will engage the ends of the hat brims of the next tray below and will hold the latter firmly in position, thereby preventing their disengagement during transportation.

In order to protect the springs 10 (which as shown are double) at the outer corners of the trays from damage when the legs of the next tray above are inserted in the corners and to provide suitable sockets for the reception of the lower ends of said legs, I secure in each of the corners of the tray small metal plates 15 preferably curved at their upper edges and extending over the sections of the spring so that when the tray is placed in position the legs will not only be centered, but damage to the springs in the corners will be prevented.

By the use of these trays it will be seen that a large nu mber of samples can be carried without liability of damage, that the trays can be separately removed and placed on the floor, the legs being long enough to prevent the tops of the hats from touching and that when the trays are superposed the supporting legs will enter the sockets in the tray below thereby allowing the hats to extend one within the other as shown in Fig. 3 and thus economy of space is secured.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the invention is shown applied to a single receptacle, whether constituting the hat box in a trunk or a separate hat box structure, the sides of the box or receptacle are indicated by 20, the cord by 21 and the sustaining springs or elastic supports by 22, preferably arranged at the corners of the receptacle and engaging the cord, said springs being preferably provided with loops 23 at their outer ends adapted to be engaged with hooks 24 arranged in the corners as shown. The springs normally hold the cord taut, forming an elastic support for the hat which is held down upon it by the usual strap 25, preferably elastic, passing over the hat, as in Fig. 5, 01' by other suitable means. When it is desired to remove the hat support, the loops on the springs can be removed from the hooks 24: and the receptacle used for other purposes if desired.

The improved suspension herein shown is simple and cheap and While I prefer to use it in the form of tray shown, it is obvious that it can be used wherever desired. Also that instead of a flexible cord as a support for the hat a rigid ring could be employed in which the crown of the hat could be inserted and the hat supported at the brim as before said ring beingconnected to the supporting springs in the same manner, but the arrangement of cord as shown is cheaper and less liable to damage the hat and I therefore prefer it.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a receptacle, of the supporting ring or strip engaging the brim of a hat, and the elastic supports connected to said ring and to the sides of the receptacle, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a receptacle, of the flexible strip engaging the brim of ahat, and the elastic supports for the strip connected to the sides of said receptacle, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a receptacle, of the flexible cord engaging the brim of a hat,

the supporting springs connected to the corners of the receptacle at one end and at the other to said cord, substantially as described.

4:. In a hat tray, the main frame havinghat supporting devices therein, the supporting legs arranged at the corners and the supports below the tops arranged at the corners adapted to support the lower ends of the legs of a superposed tray, in combination with a superposed tray having supporting legs at the corners substantially as described.

5. In a hat tray, the main frame having hat supporting devices therein, the legs arranged at the corners and extending below the bottom of the tray and the upper ends located below the top and adapted to serve as supports for the legs of a superposed tray, in combination with a superposed tray having legs at the corners substantially as described.

6. In a hat tray, the combination with the main frame having the elastic hat supports therein near the top, of the broad strips on the bottom arranged to co-operate with the brims of the hats in a tray below and hold them on the supports of a lower tray, sub- I stantially as described.

7. In a hat tray, the combination with the main frame provided with a series of receptacles for hats, of hat supports arranged in said receptacles, springs on which the supports are mounted, those in adjacent receptacles being constructed of a single piece, substantially as described.

8. In a hat tray, the combination with the main frame having legs at the corners, of a hat support in the tray and springs supporting it, the two springs at the corner connected at one end to the frame and at their other ends to the hat support leaving a recess between for the leg of a superposed tray, substantially as described.

9. In a hat tray, the combination with the main frame having the leg at the corner, of a hat support in the tray and springs supporting it, the two springs atthe corner connected at one end to the frame and at their other end to the hat support leaving a recess between and the plate 15 forming a leg socket and protecting the springs from damage, substantially as described. 7

10. In a hat tray, the combination with the main frame having the supporting legs, of a series of cord hat supports, the springs connecting them with the sides of the receptacles, and the broad strips on the tray adapted to cc-operate with the brims of hats in alower tray, and the leg supports in the upper side of the tray, substantially as described.

HENRY LIKLY.

Witnesses:

FRED F. CHURCH, GRACE A. Room 

